PenguinNews.co.uk: We made our own amusements then [the future of music on the 'net]

"What if all those people using Napster stopped downloading
Madonna and Metallica and started downloading music that is beyond
the music industry's control? What if websites evolved that
specialised in reviewing music that was uniquely available across
the web, jazz sites, folk sites, world and dance music sites? What
if expanding bandwidth and superior compressing techniques overrode
the qualitative differences between downloads and purchased cds?
What if distribution and information channels on the internet
become sophisticated enough to bypass the traditional music
industry, and create a new industry controlled by the musicians and
their audience?"

"And, if this outcome appears implausible, who would have
predicted in 1995 that Linux would be the primary development
platform for Silicon Graphics and IBM by the year 2000?"

"The music industry, now in the control of a handful of
multinational corporates, has a lot of thinking to do. Napster is
irrelevant. Suppressing Napster, while legally justifiable, is
little more than spitting into the wind. Change will happen despite
the best efforts of the music industry."